Study: Imaging Detects Signs of Autism

Early intervention is an important factor in treating autism. And while biological causes of autism continue to be a mystery, researchers have found for the first time a method using imaging that can accurately identify a neurological sign of autism in very young toddlers.
By scanning the brain activity of sleeping children, the scientists discovered that the autistic brains exhibited significantly weaker synchronization between brain areas tied to language and communication, compared to that of non-autistic children.

Common Brain Activity in Autism Siblings

The genetic roots of autism may reach further in families than previously thought, according to new research.
In a study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, scientists at the University of Cambridge report that even the unaffected siblings of autistic children show signs of brain differences that set them apart from children in non-autistic families.

Looking for Early Signs of Autism

A technology that monitors electrical activity in the brain could help identify infants who will go on to develop autism, scientists say.
The technology, known as electroencephalography, or EEG, is also providing hints about precisely how autism affects the brain and which therapies are likely to help children with autism spectrum disorders.
"Right now, the earliest we can reliably identify a child is, say, 3 years of age," says Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School. "Our work is designed to see [if we] can we do that in early infancy, long before any signs or symptoms of autism are apparent in the child's behavior."
If EEG lives up to its early promise, Nelson says, children with autism might start getting therapy before their first birthday.

Researchers Tie Brain Waves to Autism Risk

A simple checklist for behavioral signs and symptoms is all that is used by specialists to diagnose a child with an autism spectrum disorder. Although it is one of the fastest growing diagnoses among toddlers, there are no medical tests to screen for the disorder.
But a new study adds to mounting evidence that measuring brain activity during infancy could help determine whether a baby might be at higher risk of developing autism.
Researchers used electroencephalography, or an EEG, to measure the brain waves of nearly 80 babies from the time they were 6 months old until they reached age 2. Researchers found those who were already known to be at higher risk for autism -- those who had an older sibling on the spectrum -- showed a different brain wave pattern than those with no known risk for the disorder.